Where Do We Start Now That You're Back From The Dead?
by emmareden
Summary: So this fic is based more on the books, but I'll probably include TV characters too (spoilers for the books up to #11) but where Courtney is actually alive after Real Ali thinks she killed her. It is set after the fire where Real Ali may or may not have died. Before the whole Jamaica thing. Courtney Dilaurentis/Emily Fields
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So this fic is based more on the books, but I'll probably include TV characters too (spoilers for the books up to #11) but where Courtney is actually alive after Real Ali thinks she killed her. It is set after the fire where Real Ali may or may not have died. Before the whole Jamaica thing. Feel free to ask if anything is confusing! One shot at this stage but I'd like to make it a multi-chapter if I have the time!**

 **Where do we start now that you're back from the dead?**

Emily looked at her watch, distractedly.

"Do you have to go?" her date asked, noticing.

Emily bit her lip; she didn't like being rude but she wasn't exactly having the best time, "Uh, I kinda do. I'm sorry, it's just I told my mum I'd help her with something."

Her date nodded, probably knowing it was an excuse, "Sure, I understand," she stood up and gave Emily an awkward hug, "We'll talk soon?"

"Yeah, soon," Emily mustered up a polite smile.

A few minutes later, Emily walked home slowly. She'd been on a few dates lately, on her friends' recommendations, but she just couldn't get her head into it. She was tired of trying to create chemistry that just didn't exist. She knew her friends just wanted her to be happy but right now, happy meant sleeping without the shadow of A aka Real Ali hanging over her head.

"Psst."

Emily stopped. She squinted her eyes as she looked around in the dark.

"Emily?"

Her blood ran cold. She knew that voice. She took steps backward still squinting through the dark. She gasped when the blonde girl appeared from behind a tree. Emily looked around desperately, the street was quiet.

"Ali…"

The blonde stepped closer, her hands raised in a show of peace, "No," she shook her head, "It's me, Courtney."

Emily shook her head, "Don't lie to anymore. I am so over your lies – "

"Emily, I swear. I'm not lying. I'm Courtney," the girl insisted, looking upset.

"Courtney's dead," Emily sniped back, "I'm not falling for your crap – "

"But I'm not," the girl claimed, "Ali thought she killed me but she was wrong. I've been here the whole time. I wanted to stop her, I swear but I knew you guys wouldn't believe me and I knew if she knew I was alive, she'd kill me."

Emily blinked, still suspicious, "How did you survive? She buried you… they found your body."

"They found bones and my clothes… my jewelry. I needed Ali to think I was dead. She's evil, Em, I was scared…"

The blonde's eyes misted over and Emily almost believed her.

"Prove it," she said quietly, "Prove your Courtney."

The petite blonde took a slow step forward, "I- I don't know how… she knew everything," her brow furrowed as she tried to think, "Just give me a second… what about the time you kissed me in the treehouse?"

"It was in your journal," Emily shot back, "Plus, I told the girls… plenty of people could know about that."

"Okay, okay," the girl thought, "I don't know if this will work, because I don't know everything that happened between you and Ali…" she stepped closer to Emily and pulled her into a nearby alleyway. She pulled her top up to expose a scar running all the way from the side of her left breast and down her ribcage, "When I was pretending to be Ali, I told you that Courtney did this. That was a lie. I did it to myself before I was ever put in the Preserve. You walked in when I was covering it up, remember? At that pool party? I told you not to tell anyone about it. I thought it showed weakness."

Emily's eyes traced over the scar as she bit her lip. She swallowed down a tight throat.

"Em?" the girl asked gently, "Please, you have to believe me – "

"Why now?" Emily asked, trying to wrap her head around what was happening.

The girl hesitated, "Because now she's gone. I was a coward," she looked at the ground, "I knew if she knew I was alive she'd kill me…and the truth is I really missed you. All of you but," she looked at Emily, "especially you."

Emily looked back into the blue eyes of the blonde, stepping forward cautiously. Flecks of green spotted the girls eyes.

"Courtney," Emily breathed, "It's really you."

* * *

"I knew if anyone was going to believe me, it would be you," Courtney smiled.

Emily ran a stressed hand through her hair, "You still have a lot to answer for."

Courtney hung her head, "I know. I do. You're right. I pretended to be Ali, you know all that but I really wanted to be your friend. I really did care about you. I know I could be a bitch but…" she shook her head, "Anyway, I'm not the one who tried to blackmail you or expose your secrets or kill you. Surely, I get some points for that?" she attempted a smile.

"I missed you too," Emily said quietly, "The real you. Or the… I don't know. The fake Ali. I just… I thought you were her and then I thought she was you and…"

Courtney took Emily's hand in her own, "I know," she said softly, "This has been hard on everyone but for you…" she shook her head, "I can't even imagine how confusing this is."

"She kissed me," Emily barely whispered, "And I thought…" she sighed in frustration at herself, "I thought… and then she took us to that house and the fire and she never cared at all…"

"But I did," Courtney said earnestly, " _I_ did," she repeated softly.

Emily looked at their entwined hands, "I loved you," she choked out, "And no matter what I try, I can't get over it. Everybody tells me to but I just can't. I shouldn't have missed you or kept pining for you but I did."

"Em, I should have come back sooner. I should have helped you. I was just… so scared. She's my sister and she tried to kill me. You are all so much braver than I could ever be," she whispered, a tear running down her cheek.

Emily wiped the tear away, "You weren't well… you need help."

"I've been taking my pills," Courtney whispered, "I've been in Philly, seeing a doctor up there under a fake name… I'm feeling much better."

Emily bit her lip, "I don't know…what to believe is real with you and what's not. I wish you had just told me who you were."

"And that I'd had Ali shipped off to my room at a mental institution?" Courtney sighed, "I was pretending to be Ali… I knew what she was like, or I thought I did… but the most fake thing I did was with you, Emily. You kissed me and I rejected you. I told you I liked boys. I teased you about it. That was the hardest thing because I really, really liked the way you made me feel."

Emily was squeezing Courtney's hand tightly, without even being aware she was doing it.

Courtney's other hand wiped the tears from Emily's cheeks, "I'm sorry," she blinked her own tears away, "I'm truly, truly sorry," she kissed her friends' cheek, "I don't know much about love… but everything I do know is from your eyes. It was so different to the way everybody else in Rosewood looked at me as Ali…" she stopped, "Did you and Ali…real Ali… you said she kissed you…"

Emily sniffed and shrugged, "It was…heated. But if you're asking if we had a relationship, we didn't. And if you're asking if we had sex, we didn't. I loved her because I thought she was you but she was so… heartless. She built me up just to tear me down. She said she purposefully made me think that we had a happy ending… Right before she tried to kill me."

Courtney nodded, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Emily shrugged.

"I created her," Courtney whispered, "By having her sent to that place…"

Emily frowned, "We all have choices… just because something awful happens to us doesn't mean we have to react. There's always redemption and the Real Ali… she didn't have any redeeming features I ever saw."

"What about me?" Courtney asked quietly, "Do you think I can have redemption?"

Emily swallowed past the lump in her throat. She lurched forward and kissed Courtney's lips. Courtney's hand rest behind Emily's ear, pulling her closer.

"I think so," Emily murmured as they rest their foreheads against one another, only jolting apart when Emily's phone beeped. She pulled it out and for the second time, that night her blood ran cold. Silently, she handed it to Courtney.

 **So happy endings do happen after all. How sweet. Enjoy it while you can. – A.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

"Em, wait up!"

Emily turned around to see her friend Aria jogging to catch up to her.

"Hey, we missed you at lunch, everything okay?" Aria asked a little breathlessly.

Emily smiled, "Sure, I just had a bunch of homework," she lied. She hated lying to her friends. That's why she was avoiding them.

"Oh, okay," Aria nodded, "Hey, how'd your date go?"

Emily sighed, "It was… fine. She was nice, I guess."

"That good, huh?" Aria looked sympathetic.

Emily smiled sheepishly.

Aria bit her lip, looking pensive, "I know it's been hard on you, Em… maybe dating isn't the best thing for you right now. I mean, you don't need a guy or a girl to be complete."

Emily hummed, "Yeah, well tell that to Hanna would you? She's the one that keeps pushing me to these stupid blind dates. You don't just get over…" she shook her head, trailing off.

"You still think about her a lot…" Aria said softly; it wasn't really a question.

Emily shrugged, thankful they'd arrived at her turn off, "Don't we all?" she asked casually, "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure," Aria grinned, "You know the renovations are done on the barn, we're going to have a sleepover tomorrow. You're in, right?"

Emily smiled, "Yeah, sounds good."

"Your mum still coming down hard on you about homework?" Aria asked.

"Yeah," Emily nodded, "But she's gone to see dad so I'm free for a few days," she smirked.

"Sweet!" Aria exclaimed, "Hey, let me know if you want some company."

Emily hugged her friends, "Thanks, Aria," she smiled, "I'll be fine."

* * *

Emily unlocked the door and looked around the house, quickly heading upstairs to her room.

"Hey."

Emily threw her bag down and smiled at the blonde sitting on her bed, reading.

"Hey," she smiled, "You okay?'

Courtney nodded, "I'm fine. Just been going through your bookshelf," she held up a book, "How was school? Did you see the girls?" she asked a little nervously.

Emily nodded, "I saw them," she confirmed, pausing, "I didn't tell them though."

Courtney stood up, placing the book down on the bed, "You know you're going to have to though, right?"

Emily sighed, "I know. It's just…"

"They won't be as happy as you that I'm alive," Courtney guessed.

Emily shrugged, "But if A… Ali is back, I have to tell them."

Courtney tensed, "Have you had any more texts?"

"Nothing," Emily answered honestly as she sat down on her bed, pulling out her phone just to make sure.

"I don't understand how she could survive… I thought she was locked inside that house. The firemen said nobody could survive that," Courtney shook her head, "Maybe it's not Ali. Maybe it's someone else."

Emily paused, "It's Ali," she said glumly.

Courtney frowned, "How can you be so sure? The fire – "

"I left the door open for her," Emily said quietly, "When I escaped the house… I made sure the door was open so she had a chance," she hung her head.

Courtney looked shocked, "Why?" she asked incredulously, "Why would you do that?"

Emily looked miserable, "I saw her on the way out," she explained quietly, "She looked right at me. Her eyes just looked the same as always; like she knew all my secrets. I remembered all those moments with… well, with you. She has your face," she shook her head angrily at herself, "I thought… and when she kissed me, it felt… I just didn't think she deserved to die," she ground her teeth, "This is all my fault. She's alive and probably going to kill us and it's all my fault," she let out a sob.

Courtney closed the gap between them and pulled Emily close, "Her actions aren't your fault. You're a good person… and she really screwed with your head, Em. She knew just how to play you… even more than I did. She knew you'd leave that door open."

"Because I'm weak," Emily whispered, disgusted with herself.

"No," Courtney shook her head, "Because you see the good in everyone," she placed a hand on Emily's cheek, hesitating, "But Em, she is not me. You've got to realise that. You said it yourself, she's heartless. She doesn't care about you or me or anyone."

Emily nodded, "I know," she whispered.

"You've got to tell the girls," Courtney said firmly.

Emily nodded, "We're having a sleepover tomorrow. I'll them then."

* * *

"Hey, Em! You're late!" Spencer chirped as she let her friend into the newly restored barn.

"Yeah, sorry," Emily mumbled, looking around the barn, "Looks great in here," she tried to smile.

The truth was she'd spent the last hour pacing, trying to figure out what she was going to say to her friends.

"Yep, better than before!" Hanna grinned.

Emily ran a hand through her hair, not sitting down with the rest of her friends.

"Have you guys… had any texts?" she finally asked.

Spencer's head snapped up. Hanna frowned. Aria looked worried.

"No," Aria shook her head, looking to the others.

Hanna shook her head.

"Emily, what's going on?" Spencer asked, leaning forward, "Has something happened?"

Emily paced in front of her friends.

"Emily?" Hanna asked, looking like she was ready to start panicking.

Emily closed her eyes for a moment before stopping still.

"I think Alison is alive," she whispered.

"Why would you think that?" Spencer questioned.

"I got a text," Emily answered, "from A."

Aria frowned, "What was it about?"

Emily sighed, "Well, that's the thing… there's more."

Spencer watched her friend closely, "Emily, tell us. You can tell us anything, you know that."

The other two nodded in agreement.

Emily ran her hand through her hair again, "Okay," she said quietly, "But you're not going to like it," she nibbled her lip, "Courtney's alive."

"WHAT?" Hanna asked, standing up, "You just said Ali's alive. Now you're saying Courtney's alive. Why would you think that?"

Emily bit her tongue.

Spencer and Aria stood up too.

Spencer watched her friend, "You've seen her," she said quietly.

Emily met her eyes and nodded.

"Are you sure it's her? How do you know which one you're talking to?" Hanna asked.

Emily mumbled, "She showed me this scar… that she'd shown me when she was Ali. It's her, guys. It's Courtney. And Ali knows she's alive."

"If Courtney's been alive this whole time," Aria said slowly, "Why has she just shown up now?"

Emily bit her lip, "She knew if Ali knew she was alive she'd kill her. She thought Ali was dead… we all did… but then we got a text – "

"She was with you when you got the text?" Hanna asked.

Emily nodded, "Yeah."

"Where is she now?" Spencer asked sharply.

Emily looked away, "Um. She's staying at my place."

"Oh my god," Hanna groaned, "Emily, she's a manipulator. How do you know you can trust her?"

"She's different," Emily claimed, "She's sorry for the way she treated us, which by the way, wasn't that bad when you compare it to Real Ali."

"You said as Ali she played with your feelings," Hanna reminded her.

"Okay, hold on," Aria said, "The important thing right now is the fact that Ali's alive, right? Emily's right, Courtney never tried to hurt us. Not physically. She could be a bitch, sure, but Alison's the one to worry about. If she's alive, she's going to try again. Right?"

Spencer was the first to answer, "You're right," she nodded, "But what the hell do we do about it? The cops are convinced she's dead. Everybody's convinced she's dead."

"I can't believe she's not," Hanna groaned, "I thought all of this was over."

"So did I," Aria murmured.

"We've got to go to the cops, right?" Hanna asked, "It's the only thing we can do. At least they'll have a chance of finding her before…"

Emily nodded, "Yeah, if they believe us."

"It's worth a shot," Spencer shrugged.

Then, in familiar unison, their phones all beeped. With dread, they all reached into their bags and pockets to retrieve their phones.

"Oh my god," Emily's face went pale.

 **You tell and I'll bury my dear sister in Emily's backyard. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. I'm back, bitches. Who wants to die first? Eenie meenie miney mo… - A.**


End file.
